Chapter 11: Annabeth and I Make a Wish

The sun was already setting as we reached the Bethesda Terrace. We looked down, and there it was, standing on its glory, with water flowing down gracefully coming out from the angel's feet and then into the basin at the bottom-the Bethesda Fountain. The sight was spectacular.

"Here we are," Annabeth said, looking around. "And I think we're the first pair to arrive. Thank the gods."

Only a few people were now surrounding the fountain. As we reached it, a boy was running around and bumped into me. I almost lost my balance and tripped headfirst into the water, not that I'd care to get wet.

"Sorry, mister," he called as he continued running up the stairs.

"Right." I glared at Annabeth when I heard her laughing beside me. "What's so funny, Wise Girl?"

"You should've seen the look on your face. But most of your expressions are always funny," she pointed out while chuckling.

I rolled my eyes. "The boy just got the wrong target; it should've been you instead of me. Anyway, what do we do now?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Toss a coin and make a wish? I don't see what else we should do."

"Okay, let's do that," I agreed.

"Yay, wish!" Lance cried.

Annabeth and I got a drachma (we were sure it was more effective than an ordinary coin) from our pockets, and tossed it into the water. There were so many coins glittering below. We closed our eyes.

I wished that even if we faced hardships, Annabeth and I would always be with each other—in mind, soul, and heart.

I opened my eyes and felt someone squeeze my hand. I turned to my left and found Annabeth smiling at me, which made my heart flutter. I cracked a grin and squeezed back. A rainbow materialized from the water, but it disappeared after a second.

"What did you wish for, Percy?"

"What did you wish for, Annabeth?"

We were surprised that both of us had asked at the same time, and then found ourselves laughing loudly.

"I asked first," Annabeth said.

"Nuh-uh," I retaliated.

"Uh-huh."

"Nuh-uh."

"Gods, Percy, are we really having this argument?"

I replied to her the wisest thing to say on earth, "Duh."

She smacked my arm jokingly as we were laughing once again. Even Lance joined in while clapping his hands.

No words were needed to be spoken for what we'd wished for. Just by looking at each other's eyes, we already knew. That was what made us to be special for each other.

We sat on the fountain's edge, waiting for a staff member to declare us the winners. But after a while, nobody came to us.

"That's weird," I said. "Shouldn't a staff member be here by now?"

"Maybe it's not making a wish," Annabeth stated.

"What, then?"

"Let's do my Plan B: story to Lance the history of Bethesda Fountain. I still remember most of it. Maybe that'll work." She smiled proudly.

Oh, gods. That'd be a horror to him, especially to me. I quickly turned to the baby. "Lance, whatever Annabeth says, do not listen to her. You'll just waste half of your life! Just keep clapping and—"

I was cut off when something hit me on my head. "Hey!"

"That's not a nice thing to say, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth shot daggers at me.

"Telling Lance about the fountain isn't a nice thing to say, either," I defended dramatically. "Think about his future!"

She glanced at me wickedly.

Uh-oh. I knew that look. Whenever she'd do that, I already knew she had devised an evil plan for me. I gulped nervously. "Uh, what are you thinking inside that complicated brain of yours?"

Annabeth still had that look plastered on her face. "Oh, I don't know, Seaweed Brain. Maybe just thinking about your future instead. How I'd love to go home now and we'll just talk about architecture all night long. And I hope it'll rain tomorrow so that I still could—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because I suddenly stood up, causing her to flinch. It was her turn to exclaim, "Hey!"

After Annabeth had said that "word," something clicked inside my not-so-complicated brain. This only happens sometimes, so please do give me a round of applause. I promise you that my plan was more brilliant that Annabeth's, which also happens sometimes.

I looked at her, victory written all over my face. "I got it, Annabeth! Let's do my Plan B."

She narrowed her eyes. Annabeth hates it when I have a plan. "You have a Plan B?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to you."

"You're welcome. And that would be...?"

I grinned at her. "Rain!"

Annabeth looked up at the sky; there weren't any dark clouds in sight. "Oo-kay," she drawled uncertainly.

I was still grinning. Why was she so slow today? "Just stand up."

She stood up with that skeptical look on her face. "This better be good, Percy. If we're going to look like idiots, I'll—"

"Awesome, if you ask me," I interrupted her. "And don't worry about that. Brace yourself."

Annabeth's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Oh, my gods! Don't tell me—"

She was silenced when a mighty wave roared above us, and the next thing we knew the water was raining down around the vicinity.

Annabeth looked up at me, and I kissed her full on the lips. She was shocked, but answered back after a moment. The kiss was sweet and passionate. We were still holding hands (the handcuffed hands) while her free hand was on my neck and mine was on her waist.

I heard people shouting and scattering around, but I didn't care. We were having a romantic moment here, and this was a contest, after all, so I was sure they'd understand. The only thing the mortals wouldn't understand was what had happened to the fountain.

After the "shower," Annabeth, Lance and I were the only ones left beside the fountain, soaking wet, even the trolley.

Everything was silent, except for Lance who kept saying, "Whoosh!"

"Um, that went well."

Annabeth and I turned around to the source of the voice. There standing at the front of the arch was the bunny mascot, with two of the staff members beside her. The one to her right pressed a button on a small gadget he was holding, and, when the speaker spoke next, it was connected to all of the pole-sized megaphones in Central Park, making all of the people hear what she was saying. There were also three heavy speakers around them. Well, that was quick putting those things there.

"You three, please step forward," began the speaker.

We walked in their direction. Annabeth's head was held up high in triumph, while I was just pushing the trolley casually.

"Your names, darlings?" the speaker asked us as we reached her. She held her microphone in front of us.

"Annabeth Chase," Annabeth answered proudly.

"Percy Jackson," I answered lamely. "And this is Lance Smith." As I stated his name, Lance cried happily while clapping his hands.

"Congratulations, Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, and Lance Smith!" she declared."You are the official winners for today's contest. For your prizes, just give your address to the staff member over there later and we'll send them to you via mail. You'll receive them tomorrow, except for the tickets to the Loeb Boathouse's restaurant. Here you go."

There were applauses around us as the speaker handed the tickets. Annabeth received them. "Oh, and here's another ticket for the baby, a bonus."

I also heard murmurs like, "What on earth happened to the fountain?" "Did you see the water? It was, like, it had a life on its own!" "Oh, my gosh! We're too late, Cutie Pie," and "Do you carry a lunchbox?"

The latter was so random, but I hid a grin. It was up to them to figure out what had really happened to the fountain.

"Thanks," I told the speaker. "It was kind of fun."

"No problem," she responded jovially. "I'm glad you kissed. That was the last step to win. Though we don't know what happened to the fountain."

"The clues were so easy, actually," Annabeth said. "Is this the end of the easy level? And why are you wearing a costume, anyway?"

"I'm glad you found the clues easy, darling," the speaker answered. "You see, it was meant to be that way—solvable. And wearing a costume, especially a bunny, is fun, that's why."

"Oh," Annabeth and I said in unison. Was wearing a costume really that fun? But I'm sure it was hot inside.

I decided not to tell that to the speaker, though.

Talking about clues, I just noticed something weird and surprising. I had to ask Annabeth about it later.

As the bunny unlocked our handcuffs, I looked to my left and saw a lady wearing a red satin dress standing beside a tree. She was smiling while clapping her hands slowly, gazing at me. I found myself mesmerized. There was also something familiar about that dress and feeling.

Snap it, I told myself firmly.

Shaking my head, I looked at the lady again, but she wasn't there anymore.

Weird.

The speaker directed her microphone back in front of her mouth. "Well, that's all for today's Central Park's event! Thank you for participating and watching. Until next time. Tah-tah!"

Annabeth turned to me while shaking her right wrist. "I hate to admit this, Seaweed Brain, but you had a brilliant and stupid idea."

I gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I'm glad you loved it, Wise Girl."

000

The Loeb Boathouse stood at the northeastern tip of the Lake, and housed the Boathouse Restaurant—a famous icon of Central Park.

Thanks to the towels that the staff members had given us, we were now dry. Well, not really thanks to the towels. We just accepted them to not raise suspicion. You know what I mean.

"Welcome, ma'am, sir," the waiter said as we walked into the restaurant. "Table for three?"

"Yes, please," Annabeth said professionally, like she was always eating in a five-star restaurant. She handed the waiter our tickets.

"Ah, the winners," the waiter mused as he reached for the tickets. "A table has already been reserved for you. Please follow me."

We followed him (me carrying Lance) and directed us to a table at the deck. There was a candle holder already lighted on the center and rose petals all over the table.

As we sat, I marveled my surroundings. With the rowboats and occasional gondola drifting by on the Lake, the view from the deck was splendid. The stars were starting to appear in the sky.

The waiter noticed my awed face and said, "Many diners, especially couples, prefer the deck—where they can sit back and relax to watch the marvelous scenery. Well, then." He gave Annabeth and me a menu. "May I take your order?"

Annabeth scanned the menu. "I'll have prime aged sirloin steak, jumbo lump crab cake, and apple tarte tatin."

He wrote it on his paper, then turned to me. "You, sir?"

I read the list of gorgeous foods. Seeing the prices, I nearly fell off from my seat. The prices would make me bankrupt for a year, but I quickly remembered that our tickets had unlimited charges. Thank the gods. "I'll take lemon herb crusted Colorado rack of lamb, Boathouse steak tartar, and huckleberry cheesecake."

Then I froze. Not because of what I'd ordered, but because it had happened again. Annabeth noticed my stiffness. Thankfully, the waiter didn't.

He wrote my order, then looked at Lance. "Ah, madam Cyn—I mean, I recommend classic chicken noodle for him. It's our famous soup for babies. Would that be fine?"

"Yes," answered Annabeth, still looking at me with an unreadable expression on her face.

He repeated our orders for confirmation, but I barely heard what he said. "Your orders will be up in ten minutes." With that, he retrieved the menus, bowed, and left us.

"Percy, what's wrong?" Annabeth asked in concern.

"It's my first time here," I said casually, but failed. My voice cracked with uneasiness.

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't give me that answer. After you read the menu and said your order, you froze and..." Then it dawned on her. Annabeth's eyes widened in shock. She quickly got her new book about architecture from her bag, opened a random page, then held it in front of me. "Read the first sentence."

"In the late twentieth century, a new concept was added to those included in the compass of both structure and function, the consideration of sustainability," I read and said easily. No words were jumbled in my mind.

Wait, what?

"Oh, my gods!" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong with me, Annabeth?" I asked her, almost not recognizing my own voice. "I don't know what happened! I think it started when I read the second clue. I didn't notice it. And there was this lady I saw a while ago that was looking at us after we won the contest. She was weird, if you ask me," I added the last part, feeling that was important to mention to Annabeth.

"A lady?" she asked uncertainly. "What did she look like?"

"Er, I'm not sure," I said. "Though she gives you the feeling that you're dumb, because you can't speak properly when you see her face. She was wearing a gorgeous dress."

Annabeth thought for a minute, and then her expression turned sour. She said without preamble, "Aphrodite."

Then, I felt something shimmering behind my back.